Rain Phoenix, the sister of late Hollywood icon River Phoenix, has revealed that his tragic death three decades ago profoundly shaped her perspective on mortality, leading her to cultivate a “vibrant relationship with death” through her work as a death doula and advocacy for the death-positive movement.
In a personal essay published on October 31, 2025, on the Substack platform Another Jane Pratt Thing, Rain Phoenix, now 52, opened up about the lasting impact of her brother’s death. She recalled the traumatic experience of losing River when she was just 20 years old, describing how the intense media scrutiny compounded her grief and made the process even more painful. Rain wrote that the coverage felt “invasive and cruel,” forcing her to initially cope by emotionally shutting down, which she later realized kept her from fully honoring his memory.
River Phoenix died on October 30, 1993, at the age of 23 from an accidental drug overdose. The tragedy unfolded outside The Viper Room, a Los Angeles nightclub partly owned by Johnny Depp, where River had been scheduled to perform with his band. He collapsed on the sidewalk after experiencing seizures and was pronounced dead at the hospital, leaving his family, including Rain and their brother Joaquin Phoenix, as well as the entertainment world, in a state of shock and mourning.
Now, more than three decades later, Rain has embraced a deep curiosity about death and grief, seeing it as a natural part of life rather than something to fear or avoid. She explained that this shift began with her realization that distancing herself from the pain only prolonged her sense of loss. Over time, she found that engaging openly with mortality allowed her to reconnect with River’s spirit and transform her grief into a source of personal growth and understanding.
Her journey led her to train as a death doula, a role that involves supporting individuals and families through the dying process with compassion and practical assistance. Rain detailed how this training, combined with her exploration of the death-positive movement, has enabled her to find unexpected peace and even joy in confronting mortality directly. The death-positive movement, she noted, encourages open conversations about death, dying, and corpses, helping to demystify and normalize these topics in society.
The COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in deepening her interest, as the widespread loss and isolation prompted her to take an online death doula course and channel her emotions into creative outlets, including writing numerous songs. Rain shared that this period of reflection helped her see how facing death head-on could lead to greater happiness and fulfillment in life, turning anxiety into a driving force for positive change and artistic expression.
Rain’s revelation comes as part of a broader cultural shift towards normalizing conversations about death, with the death-positive movement gaining traction in recent years. Her personal story highlights how profound loss can transform into a source of strength and purpose, offering a message of hope to others dealing with grief. By sharing her experience, she aims to reduce the stigma around death and encourage a more compassionate, informed approach to end-of-life care and mourning.
As Rain continues her work as a death doula and advocate, she hopes to inspire others to approach death with openness and curiosity. Her essay serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring impact of love and loss, and the possibility of finding light in the darkest of experiences. Through her efforts, she honors River’s memory by helping people navigate their own journeys with death, turning personal tragedy into a legacy of empathy and resilience.